I Don't
by inudigifan201
Summary: Adrien breaks up with Chloe on their wedding day and immediately meets someone else. (older and no powers AU)
1. He really doesn't

why do I do this to myself? this was supposed to be a short because I was having writer's block on ML 90's and M2S. I didn't mean for it to be a full blown AU.

oh well, I guess I have something else on my plate now. I'll still work on ML 90's and M2S, but I needed a break, a change of pace. a short... but this didn't turn out to be a short. sigh, I do have something planned for Marichat May... I just need to finish it.

as always, enjoy and review

~inudigifan201

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Ch, 1. He really doesn't.

Everything was perfect. The flowers, the church, the guests... everything, but the couple getting married.

Chloe had everything planed down to the last detail, except for one. Adrien didn't actually love her. He only agreed to date and marry her because she was his childhood friend and he was kinda forced to. But, he wasn't happy.

"I do." Chloe smiled in her wedding dress fit for a queen.

The priest turned to Adrien and began his speech again, this time for him. "Adrien, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? For richer, for poor, in sickness and health?"

Adrien knew full well Chloe wasn't going to keep those vows. If he was disowned by his father and his assets frozen, Chloe would leave him like it was nothing. He didn't even propose. She just came to set one day, showed him the ring "he bought her" and said she said yes. He didn't have a choice.

They hadn't even kissed yet, but he knew he would feel nothing.

"Adrien?" the priest asked.

"Adri-kins?" Chloe's eyes darted around the room. "Say I do."

"I can't." He took a deep breath. Chloe was going to kill him, but right now, he didn't care. "I don't." He looked away. "I don't love you and I want to break up."

The guests gasped as he walked down the stairs and left Chloe in shock at the alter.

He just couldn't do it. He couldn't. She made him miserable.

That, that is not love. And he knew it from the beginning.

As soon as he got the the middle of the isle, he ran. He ran right out the door. Out of the church. Away from Chloe. Away from a loveless marriage. Away from misery... away from his father.

His feet hit the pavement outside and he began to fight with his tie. It was soon flying in the wind. He wasn't a fan of yellow anyway. His jacket fallow the tie in the air. He had never felt more free in his life.

Although, his freedom came to a screeching halt when he ran into a woman. He had never met this woman before, but he was on top of her. It was an accident. He wasn't looking where he was going. Although, he had to admit, she took his breath away.

Raven hair tied up into a bun with a pencil sticking out, fair skin with freckles dusting her nose, blue bell eyes that he couldn't help but stare into, a simple pink blouse with short puffy sleeves and a bit of the same fabric to look like a tie, a black pencil skirt that stopped just below her knees, and a pair of plain black heels.

She blinked at him a moment before she scowled and pushed him off her. "Watch where you're going." She stood up and dusted herself off.

"I'm so sorry, I was running away from my fiancee and I wasn't paying attention." he looked down at the ground to the papers she had dropped. "Here let me help." he bent down to get them. He picked up one sketch of a beautiful ballgown. "You're a designer?"

She snatched the sketch away from his hand and quickly picked up the rest on her own as he looked at her in bewilderment. "None of your business." she blushed.

"It was really good." He smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes. "And what do you know about fashion?"

Huh? Did she not recognize him. He scratched the back of his neck. "Well for starters, I've been a model my entire life and my father is a famous fashion designer." he rolled his own eyes, but kept his smile. "I'm Adrien Agreste." He held out his hand to shake. "What's your name princess?"

Her face went from annoyed to irritated. "You!" She poked him in the chest with her pointer finger. "Have some nerve!"

Him becoming confused was an understatement. "What did I do?"

"More like what you and your spoiled rotten brat of a girlfriend haven't done." she crossed her arms.

He gulped and suddenly felt small even though he was taller than her. Chloe... Chloe ruined everything.

She held up her right hand. "Paved over a library to build a mall." One of her fingers went down. She rattled off more until only her middle finger remained, he checked out of the yelling to think about how his name was attached to everything she listed. He didn't know any of that happened.

He felt like he deserved that middle finger she was giving him.

"I could go on, but I have to get back to work." She scowled at him. "For your father." She began to walk away.

"Wait!" he called out to her. She surprisingly stopped. "You never told me your name."

"I know." She turned around and continued on her way.

Well, that didn't go well. And the worst part was that she hated him.

Gabriel rubbed his eyes under his glasses and scowled back up at his son standing before him in his office. "How could you embarrass me like that?"

Adrien straightened up. "I'm sorry father, I just couldn't marry Chloe." it didn't help that the woman who hated him was the only thing on his mind since that encounter three days before. Her eyes haunted him. The way her nose wrinkled when she scowled. How she had no problem telling him off. How she treated him like a normal person. All he wanted was to know her name... and to apologize for everything Chloe did in his name.

"Is there someone else?" Gabriel sighed. "A mistress?"

Adrien blushed. "No." he gulped. "I just don't love Chloe. I couldn't marry her. I wasn't happy with her."

Gabriel groaned as he leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes some more. "You couldn't have broken up with her in private before the wedding?"

"I've never had a moment alone with her to break things off. She always had an entourage. I couldn't break up with her without her making a scene." Adrien tried to explain.

"And you thought your wedding was the best time?" Gabriel took off his glasses.

"I'm sorry father." Adrien scratched the back of his neck.

"Sir, am I interrupting anything?" A familiar voice came to the Agreste men.

Adrien looked behind him and... IT WAS HER! Her hair was down and resting on her shoulder, her eyes sent him daggers, she wore a gray skirt this time with a matching jacket and a hot pink top under it, her heels today were the same hot pink.

He blushed.

"No, come on in Marinette." Gabriel waved her in.

She sauntered her way in and flipped her hair into Adrien's face, smacking him back. She then handed Gabriel a folder full of designs for him to go over.

"I expect nothing less than perfection like normal." Gabriel smiled.

She stood tall. "Nothing less."

"Marinette." Adrien breathed. Finally! A name to her face! Luckily, nobody heard him.

Gabriel flipped through her work. He pulled one aside. Her confidence faltered. He handed back the drawing. "This one needs something."

she nodded and took the drawing back. He didn't hate it.

Adrien peeked over her shoulder to see the same ballgown he saw three days before. He thought it was perfect as is. But, there was no arguing with his father.

"I want to see prototypes of the rest in two week." Gabriel handed back the folder.

"Yes sir." She nodded, grabbed the file and walked back out the office.

Adrien looked back at his father. "I know you're pissed off at me, but..."

"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and just like you she is my employee." Gabriel explained as he turned to his tablet so he could get some work done. "She'll go far in this business."

Ah yes, Gabriel the workaholic Agreste.

How could Adrien forget he was his father's employee? And more importantly, the no dating co workers policy? He guessed it never really mattered before.

Well, he couldn't quit, his name was literately on the company. He even had a business degree and was slated to take over when his old man became too old... or died. Adrien knew his father wouldn't retire without a fight. And besides, she hated him.

But, there was something about Marinette that just drew him in. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he wanted to figure it out.

"You are dismissed." Gabriel glanced up at his son.

Adrien nodded and began to walk away.

"And make sure to at least apologize to Chloe." Gabriel barked one more time.

Adrien sighed when he closed the door behind him. He had nothing left to say to Chloe. How could he say "Sorry I walked out of our wedding because I was miserable our entire relationship and wanted to break up with you instead of marrying you" without sounding like an asshole? Besides, if she saw him again she'd give him no say and reset the wedding date. He really didn't want to go though that all over again.

It was then Marinette caught his eye. She was waiting on an elevator. Perhaps he could at least apologize to her. He quickly walked over and got on the elevator before the doors closed.

He gave her a warm smile while she scowled at him.

"Are you fallowing me?" She huffed.

"I work here too." He pressed the button to the floor where the giant closet was. "And I wanted to apologize about Friday."

"Congratulations on your marriage." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not married. I acutely broke up with Chloe. That's why I was in my father's office." He rubbed the back of his neck.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded.

She shrugged. "She said you two were madly in love."

He gagged.

"I'll take that as a no." She opened her file and flipped through the six designs Gabriel approved.

"I've never been in love with Chloe. I didn't have a choice when she asked me out in front of Father. And I didn't have a choice when she showed up to set one day while I was doing a shoot and said I proposed. I didn't." he tried to explain.

She rolled her eyes. "You could have told her no when she asked you out."

"Father said yes for me. Not knowing I didn't... I don't feel a thing for her." He shrugged. "I've always dreamed of marrying for love. But Chloe, Chloe had other plans. She only ever cared about my fame and money. And all that stuff you said she and I did... I had no knowledge of any of it."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "And why are you telling me all this?"

Actually, that was a good question. He didn't actually know. Something about her made him want to just tell her everything.

The elevator dinged, the doors, opened... it was her floor.

He watched as she walked out and almost disappear. He stopped the doors with his hand. "That one dress doesn't need anything! It's perfect as is." he called out. It was true... in his opinion anyway.

She glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow, but then continued back to her office.

He hoped the smile he gave her was red carpet ready and not goofy like his face felt. He sighed as he let the doors close and the elevator take him to the closet.

"That had to be the shortest wedding I've ever been to." Adrien's best friend Nino picked at his steak. "Chloe was livid after you left." He cut a piece and put it in his mouth.

Adrien fiddled his his salad, he wasn't hungry. "I bet. But I couldn't go through with it."

Nino swallowed. "I know. You were miserable. I glad you dumped her. Now you can focus on you. Date who ever you want. Chloe was a terrible match for you Bro." Nino looked his friend over. "Whats the matter Bro? You didn't sign a prenup did you?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, I met someone..." He sighed dreamily, but then frowned. "And she hates me." he sighed again, but this time it was in defeat. "and to make things worse she works for my father so if she didn't hate me I can't ask her out anyway because of a stupid office policy."

"The no dating coworkers policy?" Nino raised an eyebrow.

Adrien sighed once more. "That's the one."

Nino nodded. "What's her name? I could get Alya to stalk her on social media for you. She's really good at that."

Adrien rolled his eyes. Alya was a reporter, of course she was good at social media stalking. "No need. But, her name is Marinette... Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Nino lit up with a smile. "Dude I know her! We went to school together! She's actually Alya's best friend." He sank in his seat. "I used to have a crush on her until I got to know Alya better. In fact, all the boys in school liked her. Even some older boys."

This didn't make Adrien feel any better. "So does she have a boyfriend... a husband?" Why did that question hurt so bad?

Nino shook his head. "No bro, no man has been able to catch her eye."

That made Adrien feel a little better.

"Besides, you just broke up with Chloe, you should stay single for a bit. Try it out. Go to parties, clubs, and dance till you puke. I know you love to dance." Nino smiled.

Adrien smiled wide and leaned back in his chair at the cafe they were at for lunch, looking every bit like the model he was. "I do love to dance." he pondered for a moment. "Does Marinette like to dance?"

Nino chuckled. "Girl's got two left feet and is very clumsy."

Adrien frowned.

"But, even though she can't dance, she still has fun trying." Nino finished.

Adrien smiled.

"Hey guys." Alya waved as she walked up and sat down in Nino's lap because there were no other chairs available. She smiled up at Adrien. "Adrien I'm really proud of you. What you did took guts."

He nodded with a wide smile. "Thanks Alya."

"He met someone over the weekend." Nino kissed his girlfriend's cheek.

She looked back at Adrien. "Oh really, who?" she lit up with her reporter smile like she was on the cusp of a story.

Adrien sank in his seat. "She works for my Father."

"Marinette." Nino took a sip of his water.

Alya's face lit up with an ever growing smile. "OH MY GOD!" she looked back at Nino. "Didn't I tell you they'd make a great couple?"

Adrien smiled at this, Alya approved.

Nino shot her a frown and a raised eyebrow. "But he just broke up with Chloe, he needs time to be single. For his mental health. Besides, he can't ask Mari out anyway because of a rule at the office."

Adrien sighed. "And she hates me."

"No she doesn't." Alya giggled. "Trust me sweety the only person Marinette actually hates is Chloe. She's just taking her anger for Chloe out on you." She knew something... something he wanted to know. He could tell by the mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know Chloe's wedding dress was designed by Mari. Although if Chloe knew that she would die." she put an elbow on the table and leaned in. "Mari's slated to take over as head designer when your father retires."

This was news to him. He had to admit he did like Chloe's dress, but he didn't want to say anything. He knew Marinette was talented, but he didn't know she was in line to be lead designer of his father's company.

"Chloe wanted to make a point by being the first in our class to get married. Which worked, she would have beat Nino and I by two months." Alya got her own glass of water.

"Which we had to move anyway because you're my best man." Nino added. "If you went through with it, you'd be on your honeymoon right now."

Adrien shuddered at the thought of him and Chloe on their honeymoon. He really didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about Chloe anymore. "I'm glad I didn't go through with it."

"Us too. You were miserable." Alya nodded.

Nino squinted. "I think his color is coming back."

Alya squinted as well. "I think your right."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Ha Ha." He then smiled wide. "Tell me more about Marinette."

Alya smiled wide. "You can ask her yourself, she's joining us for lunch."

"Sorry I'm late!" As if on cue Marinette approached the table. "Mr Agreste liked most of my designs and I had to go down to the fabric department and... You!" She glared at Adrien.

He sank in his seat. So much for her _**not**_ hating him.


	2. She doesn't

um guys... I never said I was quitting this story in chapter 1. in fact I have the first chapter labeled as a chapter.

so if Ya'll can't tell, this chapter is Mari's side of the story. I don't want to go into too much detail here, but Adrien's wedding day wasn't the first time he and Marinette met. they have a history that I touched on in this chapter.

as always, enjoy and review

~inudigifan201

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Ch, 2. She doesn't

Friday.

Marinette reached her office and slid to the floor after she shut this door. Did she really just give Adrien Agreste the middle finger?! Her breath was heavy. Get a grip girl. He was getting married... to Chloe of all people. And she designed Chloe's dress. She began to hyperventilate. He was so nice though. How could such a nice guy be marrying Chloe?

She looked over at her desk to her pictures. One was of her and her best friend Alya being silly. One was of her parents. And the last one was of her almost red cat with black splotches, Tikki, eating a crescent. She smiled.

Count to ten Mari. One... two... three... four... five... six... six pack abs on top of her. She blushed. He was her boss's son and was in line to be her boss. What number was she on?

Well that didn't work, she was still freaking out.

She grumbled as she picked herself off the floor. She had work to do. She cut on the TV app on her computer for background noise and turned it to the news. She could get through this. She could get through Chloe being the wife of her future boss.

"Adrien Agreste, son of famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste and model, said "I don't" today leaving, long time girlfriend, Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of the mayor of Paris, at the alter and ended their relationship." the news anchor read off the teleprompter. "What was he thinking?"

Marinette gawked at the screen as they showed footage of Adrien running down the aisle away from Chloe. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Friday night... 2 am.

Marinette tossed and turned in her bed as Tikki meowed at her to settle down, but she couldn't. He was running from Chloe and he ran into _**HER!**_ How could she possibly get any sleep?

She picked up and unplugged her phone from the wall leaving the cord to dangle and Tikki to play with it.

"Get that out of your mouth." She picked up her cat as the number she sped dialed began to ring.

"Marinette?" Alya answered groggily. "do you know what time it is?"

"Who is it babe?" She heard Nino's voice in the background.

"It's Mari." Alya answered him.

"Tell her you'll talk to her in the morning." He yawned.

"Girl..." Alya began.

"He left Chloe!" Marinette rubbed Tikki's tummy, letting the cat playfully nip at her hand.

"I know." Alya yawned.

"Think I have a chance?" She asked as Tikki licked her fingers.

"I don't know." Alya sounded like she was falling asleep.

"Ok, goodnight." she rolled over and Tikki crawled onto her chest.

"Goodnight Mari." Alya's hand fell and the phone hit the carpet floor, but she forgot to hang up.

Marinette hit the end call button and put her phone back on the charger. She then stroked Tikki as the cat purred. "Tikki?" she asked. "Do you think I have a chance with Adrien?" She rubbed her furry chin.

"Meow." Tikki laid her head down and curled up into a little ball, falling asleep instantly.

"You have your own bed." Marinette laughed.

Monday.

Marinette walked with her head held high into the office. She had seven designs to show to Mr. Agreste. One of which Adrien said he liked.

She still couldn't believe she just ran into him on the street like that. He was so nice she thought he was just some random hot guy. His pictures didn't do him justice, he was way hotter in person. She couldn't believe she pretty much cussed him out.

She knew he had nothing to do with everything Chloe did. The next time she saw him, she should apologize. It wasn't fair to him.

She got to her office and readied herself to go up to Mr. Agreste's office and get his opinion on her designs. Although one quick glance in the mirror on the wall said she wasn't ready.

She let down her hair from her messy bun, Mr. Agreste hates messy buns, brushed off crumbs from her breakfast muffin, reapplied her favorite pink lipstick that he said complimented her complexion, and straightened out her suit. It was policy to look perfect at all times, especially in Mr. Agreste's presence.

What she did not expect was to see Adrien again so soon. She had to apologize for Friday, but it couldn't be in front of his father.

It didn't help his soft honey blonde hair looked like he just rolled out of bed, he wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a white un-tucked dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of orange tennis shoes. It really didn't help that he was a model and looked incredibly sexy in everything. It also didn't help that she had a crush on him since she was 13 and saw him in person help an old man up off the ground out of the kindness of his heart. And then after helping the old man he went inside a library to read to local children. No press or paparazzi even knew he was there and he told the kids a false name. She already knew he was handsome, but seeing do such sweet things made her fall hard.

 _Then, one day as she walked to school she noticed Chloe Bourgeois with someone. It was Adrien. Marinette smiled, she was going to introduce herself and talk about a bake sale her parents were hosting for for the homeless shelter. She was going to ask if he wanted to help out. But, plans changed when she over heard the conversation._

" _I wish you could come to school with me Adri-kins. We could be the power couple. Wouldn't that be amazing. We'd be spending even more time together." Chloe was giddy._

 _He didn't seem as happy. "What ever you say Chlo."_

 _Chloe then noticed Marinette. She then grabbed his arm and kissed his cheek, marking her territory._

 _He didn't see her and she never stopped to talk to him. He was taken. Of course he was taken._

But, that was a long time ago. And he broke up with her.

She stood tall and stuck out her chest as she entered the room. She tried to flip her hair in a seductive way, but ended up hitting Adrien in the face knocking him back. Whoops.

She then handed the file of her designs to Mr. Agreste. He pulled out one and handed it back to her.

"This one needs something." Mr. Agreste's voice came to her ears.

She heard Adrien whisper her name. She didn't understand why he did. She still needed to apologize.

The design Mr. Agreste handed back was the same one Adrien said he liked the day before. Hum, so father and son do not agree, noted.

"I want to see prototypes of the rest in two weeks." Mr. Agreste handed back the folder.

"Yes sir." with that she walked out hoping to not further embarrass herself.

She pressed the button to call the extremely slow elevator, in her opinion, so she could get back to her office and figure out what her ballgown was missing.

The doors opened and she walked in, but before the doors closed Adrien weaseled his way in.

He pushed the floor that held the closet, of course he was going there after talking to his father.

She rolled her eyes and thought she smiled. "Are you fallowing me?" that, that didn't sound as flirty as she meant. She sounded annoyed. Why?

What came out of his mouth though, caught her off guard. "I work here too. And I wanted to apologize about Friday."

"Congratulations on your marriage." Why did she sound so annoyed? Why?

"I'm not married!" He almost shouted. "I actually broke up with Chloe. That's why I was in my father's office." He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She already knew this. She had to admit he was really cute when he looked nervous. Why was he nervous?

He nodded.

She shrugged. "She said you two were madly in love." she knew that was a lie when Chloe told her.

He gagged.

"I'll take that as a no." She opened her file and flipped through the six designs Gabriel approved. She needed to swing by the fabric department before lunch with Alya and Nino. She just wanted this torturous elevator ride to be over. It's not that she didn't want to be alone with him, but he just broke up with Chloe, was her boss's son, and her coworker... stupid no dating coworkers policy.

"I've never been in love with Chloe. I didn't have a choice when she asked me out in front of Father. And I didn't have a choice when she showed up to set one day while I was doing a shoot and said I proposed. I didn't." He tried to explain. Oh, so he wasn't too bent out of shape about it. What was she thinking? He could be a play boy if he wanted now.

She rolled her eyes. "You could have told her no when she asked you out." although she knew full well there was no telling that girl no.

"Father said yes for me. Not knowing I didn't... I don't feel a thing for her." He shrugged. "I've always dreamed of marrying for love. But Chloe, Chloe had other plans. She only ever cared about my fame and money. And all that stuff you said she and I did... I had no knowledge of any of it."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "And why are you telling me all this?"

That was a very good question. Why was he telling her all this? And why was she acting like she was mad at him? She wasn't mad.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to her floor. She took a deep breath and walked out to her office. Perhaps the next time they meet she'd be nicer... if there was a next time. Of course there was going to be a next time, he was Gabriel's only son and was going to take over the company when Gabriel retired.

She was screwed.

"That one dress doesn't need anything! It's perfect as is." he called out.

She glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow to see him give her a goofy smile, but then continued back to her office so he couldn't see her blush. She wasn't 13 anymore. She needed to get a grip.

Lunch.

Marinette glanced at her phone to see what time it was. She was late! She dropped the fabric, put the pins and scissors on her desk, put her heels back on, and grabbed her purse. She knew her lipstick had faded and she had put her hair back up, but she didn't care this time. She was just going to have lunch with Nino, Alya, and Nino's best man to discuss wedding plans. Alya's dress was already on her dummy and halfway finished. She needed Alya to try it on before she finished it just in case she lost or gained weight. Although she knew Alya was watching her weight, so she probably lost some.

She exited the office building and was on her way to the cafe her friends told her to meet them at. She wondered, who was Nino's best man? He didn't have too many male friends that she knew of. He always got along better with girls. But, he was also always loyal to Alya. He never flirted or texted other girls behind Alya's back. Even when he and Marinette threw Alya a surprise birthday party he assured her there was nothing going on between them and it was true, he never tried anything on her even though she knew he used to have a crush on her.

Nino always had her respect.

Ah! there was the cafe! "Sorry I'm late!" Marinette approached the table. "Mr Agreste liked most of my designs and I had to go down to the fabric department and..." She looked up and noticed Adrien sitting across from Nino. "You!" She gasped.

Adrien sank in his seat.

"Would you like a bigger table?" a waiter walked over and asked.

"I was just leaving." Adrien stood up fast.

"Sit your butt back down model boy and eat. You haven't touched your salad since I got here." Alya glared at him.

He quickly sat back down and shoveled salad into his mouth.

Well, Marinette knew one thing, Alya scared Adrien too. Good to know.

"now i'm going." Adrien stood back up and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket.

The waiter brought over two more chairs and another waiter put another table next to the one they were sitting at to make it bigger.

"Sit down and put your wallet up bro." Nino rolled his eyes with a smile.

Adrien sighed and did as he was told. He shot Nino a "do I have to?" look. Nino nodded "yes".

Alya took a seat next to her husband to be leaving Marinette to sit next to Adrien. Well this wasn't awkward at all. He probably thought she hated him.

The waiter came back with a note pad and a pen. "What can I start you ladies off with to drink?"

Alya smiled wide. "I'll have a glass of red whine."

Marinette wanted some wine, but she knew that was a bad idea. "Water for me please." She knew it wouldn't be just one glass... it would be several and she would do something stupid. And she had to go back to work.

She really should have done something with her hair and reapplied her lipstick. And was it just her, or was Adrien now avoiding her?

"Would you like some more salad Mr. Agreste?" the waiter turned to him.

"No thanks, and Mr. Agreste is my father, call me Adrien. I will have a refill on my water though." Adrien gave the man a photo shoot smile. "and a beer."

"I'll be right back." the waiter smiled.

"Bro, your not with Chloe anymore. What are you getting the beer for?" Nino raised an eyebrow.

"It's been a long day so far and I've got two shoots after lunch." Adrien sighed. "Honestly, I just want to go home, mess with Plagg, and play some video games."

"And work on the book you're never going to finish." Nino chuckled.

Marinette became confused. Who was Plagg?

"Plagg is his cat." Alya smiled at Marinette.

Adrien blushed. "I'm not a crazy cat guy." He spoke a little too loud.

"Marinette has a cat too, her name is Tikki." Alya smiled back to him.

Marinette and Adrien both blushed uncontrollably.

"Well show each other a picture of your cats." Alya giggled.

Marinette dug her phone out of her purse while Adrien pulled his out of his pocket. They both cut on the screens and found a picture of their corresponding cats. They held their phones up at the same time.

"Aw." They both smiled at the same time upon seeing the other's cat.

Alya leaned over to her boyfriend. "They're so in sync it's funny." She whispered and giggled.

"I know." Nino whispered back with a smile on his face.

The blushing pair put up their phones as the waiter came back with their drinks.

"So let's get down to business." Alya took a sip of her wine. "Marinette, status on my dress?"

"Half way done, although Mr. Agreste wants prototypes of six outfits in two weeks so your dress is going to have to go on the back burner. I need you to try it on before I do anything else to it anyway. You have more of a figure than my dummy and I want to make sure it fits." Marinette stopped blushing and looked over to her best friend.

"I can swing by your office and try it on this afternoon if that's ok." Alya smiled wide.

Marinette nodded. "I should have half of the other six outfits cut out by then."

Alya took another sip. "Awesome, but don't work yourself too hard girl."

Nino took a sip of his own wine as Adrien took a swig of his beer. "Got your suit bro?"

Adrien chuckled. "Got a closet full of them. Do you have yours bro?"

Nino raised an eyebrow.

Adrien chuckled again. "My tailor will be at your apartment this afternoon."

Nino gave him a nervous smile. "I was just going to rent one."

"But then it wont fit right." Adrien gawked. "Trust me bro, an ill fighting suit is the worst."

Nino nodded. "Ok I'll meet your tailor."

Alya giggled. "Babe you know better than to argue with him when he tries to give you something."

Nino rolled his eyes. "I know."

She looked back at Adrien. "Remember, your ties have to be burnt orange."

Adrien sighed. "So I can't change your mind on the color scheme huh?"

"I can't either, my bride's maid dress fabric makes me look like a pumpkin." Marinette took a ship of her water.

"You're making the bride's maid's dresses too?" He looked back at her with a smile. "I bet they'll look amazing."

All Marinette could do was chug her water, but on the inside, she was screaming.


	3. They don't

Run Adrien, Run!

sorry this took a while. I got sick almost two weeks ago and I was pretty much bed ridden (because we ran out of meds and my mom was sick too. so I let her have the bulk of the meds. she was in the hospital for a few days because the doctors were worried about her heart. her heart is fine now, but she's still got a bad cold). trying to get some sleep, ended up watching cooking shows on Netflix. I'm better now, but I still have a little bit of cold still lingering.

luckily before I got sick I had most of this chapter done. I'm going to try to rotate my updates. next week I'm hoping to have a new chapter of either Married to a Stranger or Miraculous 90's up. but, I'm not making any promises. but, I'm going to try... and who knows, maybe I'll surprise Ya'll.

as always, enjoy and review

~inudigifan201

* * *

Ch, 3. They don't

Adrien couldn't put his finger on why Marinette took his breath away every time he saw her, she just did. But, something about her seemed... familiar.

He had to admit, the rest of lunch went pretty well and she didn't seem to hate him anymore. Perhaps his apology in the elevator wasn't lost on her. Perhaps he could sweep her off her feet after all. But now was the hard part, getting around that policy. He had to reread the employee handbook. Although, it didn't help he only skimmed through it when his father handed it to him when he was 12. But, he was constantly reminded of the rules. One perk of being Gabriel's son was he didn't have to worry about getting fired. Whoopee... Job security. He sighed at the thought. Of curse he could never be fired from the job he hated. Although, he was looking forward to taking on the business side of things for a change instead of being paraded around like a piece of meat.

His last shoot of the day was in the park next to Chloe and Nino's old high school which was right next to his childhood "home". He was about to get into the limo to go home when a smell came into his nose. He gazed across the street and his eyes fell onto a bakery. His stomach grumbled and his feet went on autopilot to the crosswalk. His driver became annoyed but fallowed him across the street anyway to the front of the bakery.

The moment Adrien stepped inside, his senses were flooded by memories of his mother and the smells around him. He forgot his mother used to sneak him here and let him eat carbs. Memories of his playing with a little girl every time he was here also flooded his mind. His mother would stay longer than they planed just to let him play with the girl he almost forgot all about.

It was then his eyes fell onto the little Asian woman behind the counter jotting something down in a book. She was the same woman from his youth, albeit a tad older.

The bakery itself just felt like what he imagined home would. The mansion, his apartment... those were just places to sleep. Although, after he adopted Plagg as a kitten, his apartment was a little more... livable. At least he was now happy to go home at the end of the day, if only to check on his little fuzzball. But the bakery, the bakery felt like a place he could loose himself and that would be ok.

"I'll be with you in a moment." The woman behind the counter spoke. The little bell above the door must have alerted her of his presence as he walked in.

"Ok." He nodded and looked around at all the cupcakes, muffins, macaroons, cookies, crescents, cakes and everything else that made his mouth water. Everything looked so good, he honestly wanted one of each. Although, that would ruin is physique and he was still a model.

"Can I help you?" The woman looked up at him and closed her book. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at him. "OH MY GOSH! ADRIEN!" She squealed as she pretty much jumped over the counter and ran to him to give him a hug. "I haven't seen you since you were little!" She let go and turned around. "Tom! Come see who's here! It's Adrien and he's all grown up!" She almost shouted.

A giant of a man, taller than his father and bodyguard as well as more muscular and broader, came out of the kitchen holding a tray of cookies fresh out of the oven. "Yes dear?" He asked before his eyes fell onto the blonde man his wife was excited to see. "Adrien?" He set down the tray and walked over to them. He smiled wide and gave the 24-year-old a bear hug. "It's so great so see you son! How have you been?"

"Marinette is not going to believe this." The woman smiled. "You and her used to play together all the time when your mom brought you here when you were little." She smiled even more. "Marinette had such a crush on you."

Adrien was confused. What was going on? Were these two Marinette Dupain-Cheng's parents? Did his princess really have a crush on him? Was this too good to be true?

The woman continued to smile. "I'll be right back." She left the two men confused in her dust.

"So..." Adrien looked up at the man, Tom he believed was his name.

He gave the young man a warm smile. "Sorry about my wife son, she's just very excited to see you again in person after all these years. You and our daughter used to play together all the time when you were little and then she kinda became obsessed with you when you were teenagers."

"Found it!" Tom's wife came running back in waving a picture. She handed it to Adrien. "You and Marinette got covered in flour, you looked like little ghosts." She smiled wide.

She was right. There he was, no older than 3, covered head to toe in flour. And beside him, those eyes... Marinette Dupain-Cheng's eyes. He'd recognize them anywhere and he loved them. In the background of the picture was his mother trying not to laugh and Tom freaking out with a washcloth in one hand and a bucket of water in the other.

He smiled as he looked back up at the couple. "I totally forgot about that." He handed back the picture and wiped a tear from his eye.

The sun had set when Adrien found himself opening the door to his apartment only to find one angry all black cat with green eyes on the other side wondering where he had been because his food bowl was empty!

"Alright Plagg I'll feed you." Adrien chuckled as he walked in and closed the door with his foot because his arms were full of boxes of baked goods from the bakery. He would have felt bad if he didn't buy one of everything after the Dupain-Chengs were so sweet to him and treated him like a normal person.

He scooped a cup of food from the container and dumped it into the food dish. He rubbed Plagg's tiny head as he inhaled the dry food. Adrien had heard that the wet food was actually really bad for pets. His source was a medical student at his university he hung out with on occasion, so he took the man's word considering he didn't even have a cat yet and the man loved animals.

Besides, Plagg was spoiled enough. He didn't need wet food.

Adrien thought back to his university days. He wasn't allowed to live on campus, so he didn't have many friends. Chloe limited him even more by saying he couldn't have any female friends. He really didn't want to have to deal with Chloe's hissy fits, so he didn't even acknowledge his female classmates existence. Those two years were probably more lonely than being home schooled his entire life. But, at least when he was of high school age he met and befriended Nino. And Nino went to the same university, so he wasn't that lonely... but, shortly after he met him, Nino got a girlfriend. And because Alya was a girl Adrien wasn't allowed by Chloe to hang out with Nino whenever Alya was around. Adrien often broke that rule and hung out with both of them anyway. Alya was with Nino and had no interest in him, so he figured it was ok. He always found Alya cool and like a mom to him since she always made him eat or worried about his mental health. Alya knew very well how Chloe and his father made him miserable.

Then it donned on him. Adrien tried to help Nino ask a different girl out. He couldn't see her very well from the bushes, but he did remember she had raven hair... it was all he could see of her. And Nino told him he used to have a crush on Marinette... did he try to set his best friend up with MARINETTE?!

He needed to know for sure NOW!

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped Nino's face on the screen. It began to ring.

"Hey bro what's up?" Nino's voice answered with the TV in the background.

"Ask Adrien if he's eaten yet." Alya's voice was close.

"Alya wants to know if you've eaten yet." Nino rolled his eyes.

"Tell her I'm about to eat." Adrien rolled his own eyes.

"I put you on speaker, she heard." Nino put the phone between himself and his girlfriend on their shoulders. "Was it really necessary for your tailor to measure my crotch?"

"Yes." Adrien rolled his eyes again. "But I'm not calling about the tailor. You might want to take me off speaker."

"Al and I have no secrets." Nino kissed her cheek.

Adrien sighed. "Ok..." He was still uneasy about what he was about to say. "Remember when we were 14 I tried to help you ask out a girl..."

"That was Marinette." Alya chimed in. "I was there."

Adrien gawked for a moment as Plagg purred and rubbed his head on his legs; circling him to welcome him home.

"You know babe we really should have introduced them back then." Alya's voice came to his ears.

"That would have been a bad idea. Chloe would have had a hissy fit." Nino scratched the back of his head.

"But if Adrien met and fell for Marinette sooner then he would have even more reason to break up with Chloe." Alya shot back.

"I don't know babe... Chloe's... Chloe's intense." Nino sighed. "Knowing her she probably thinks Adrien only broke up with her because of wedding jitters and wasn't in the right mind set."

"Oh." Alya crossed her arms. "But he's been wanting to break up with her for years. She was mentally abusing him and he knew it."

"I know that, you know that, and Adrien knows that, but I don't think Chloe knew what she was doing was abuse since she wasn't hurting him physically." Nino turned his attention back to his best man."Hey bro? Has Chloe called you at all?"

"I blocked her number as soon as I got home Friday." Adrien was on the floor rubbing behind Plagg's ear, still in shock that he tried to set up his best friend with the woman that had invaded every fiber of his being... and he liked it. "There's at least a hundred messages from her in my voice mail, but I'm not going to listen to any of them."

"We're proud of you, standing up for yourself like that." He could hear Alya's smile. "It must have taken a lot of courage."

"Yeah." Adrien smiled a little bit. "But I was so afraid when I did it, but I'm glad I did."

"Courage is not the absence of fear." Nino pointed out. "You did the right thing."

"I just wish I had done it sooner." Adrien nodded.

"I would have broken up with her for you if you asked me too." Alya smiled wickedly.

"I would have too." Nino chimed in.

Adrien smiled even more. "Thanks guys, but it had to be me."

"Yeah, you're right." The couple spoke in unison.

"She would have thought we were controlling you if we broke up with her for you." Alya nodded.

"That would not have ended well." Nino yawned. "Hey bro, it's getting late. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"Yeah, night guys." Adrien nodded.

"Night." The couple spoke in unison and hung up.

Adrien sighed as he picked himself off the floor, put his phone on the counter and washed his hands because Plagg had drooled all over him. Plagg had jumped up to the island counter and began to sniff the boxes from the bakery.

"None of that is for you." Adrien dried his hands with a paper towel. "And how many times do I have to tell you to get off the counter?"

Plagg just meowed and jumped down. He padded over to his cat condo and gave himself a bath after he hopped up to the top floor.

Adrien rolled his eyes as he opened one of the boxes and pulled out a cupcake. He took one bite and swore he was in heaven. He missed carbs. He missed his mom.

He tossed the paper from the cupcake in the trash and opened the fridge to grab his salad mix. Alya would have a fit if she learned all he ate that night was a cupcake.

He cut strips of chicken into the lettuce, spinach, carrots, kale (he hated kale), and halved baby tomatoes. He topped it all off with a vinaigrette with a pinch of cheddar cheese and sat at the kitchen table with two chairs. why he had two chairs when it was just him and Plagg he never understood. Perhaps he felt bad only buying one chair and that chair would be lonely so he got it a friend. Regardless the reason, he had two chairs and his butt was currently in one.

He nibbled on his salad as he scrolled on his phone. Hm, Nino said something about stalking her on social media. He didn't want to ask Alya to do it since they were obliviously best friends. But, Adrien could do it himself.

He typed her name into the search bar on Facebook and snickered when the results came in. The top result was the one he was looking for and they had two friends in common. He knew right off the bat who those two friends were. He tapped her profile, but pouted when it told him her account was private. He sighed, the only way to see anything was if he sent her a friend request and she accepted it. Wasn't the point of social media stalking to see what the other person was like without them knowing?

Plagg hopped onto the table and batted at Adrien's fork that was left in mid air by him resting his head on his left hand as he scrolled on his phone with his right hand. Playing piano for so long had gave him the advantage of being ambidextrous.

Lucky for Plagg, he was done with his salad. Adrien still scowled at him a bit as the feline licked the bowl for some cheese shreds.

Adrien took his bowl away. "The vet said i'm not allowed to let you have anymore cheese."

He was met with a protesting yowl as he stood up to wash his dishes.

"Vet's orders. It's not my fault you're lactose intolerant." He sighed as he cut on the water.

"Mew." Plagg protested even more.

Adrien smiled and rolled his eyes. It seemed they had this conversation everyday.

Plagg then set his sights on the boxes from the bakery. He jumped down from the table and onto the island counter. He sniffed at the boxes before he batted at one hoping it would open and reveal its baked contents.

"I don't think so young man!" Adrien dried off his hands and picked up the boxes. "You've already eaten and you don't need to get any fatter." he opened the fridge and made room for them all. Luckily he didn't have much in there anyway. He closed the door and turned around to see one grumpy cat. A smile graced his face as he walked over to the counter and rubbed the moody kitty under his chin, his favorite spot. "I'm not made at you, I just want you to be healthy so you can live a long time. I love you and I don't want you to get sick." He scratched behind his ears. "I'm just trying to be a good pet owner."

Plagg flopped down onto his back and exposed his tummy.

Adrien rolled his eyes, but kept his smile. He rubbed the exposed tummy and Plagg playfully kicked at his hand and nipped at him. "Goofball."

He then picked up the cat and held him close to his chest and over his shoulder like a baby as he walked over to the sofa. "What do you say we binge watch some anime till I have to go to bed?"

"Meow." Plagg responded happily with a purr.

Adrien woke up the next morning like he always did. Plagg hissing at the alarm and his eyelids feeling like bricks. But today was different. He couldn't place how, but it just was. He cut off his alarm and dragged his feet to the bathroom to shower. After that he opened his closest. He was greeted by freshly pressed suit jackets, shirts, pants, and about twenty pairs of dress shoes. Another twenty tennis shoes on the rack below. And folded on the shelf were his t-shirts, jeans and shorts. On the other side of his walk in closet were things Chloe asked him to store in there because she ran out of room in her own closet at her father's hotel. Most of them were his father's designs she bought but never wore. He was halfway debating on burning them in his fireplace just to get rid of them.

He had nothing scheduled for that morning so he decided to go for a morning jog. He grabbed a grey t-shirt with his old university logo on it and a pair of blue basketball shorts. He tied his shoes, rubbed Plagg's head, and grabbed a protein bar and a water bottle as well as his wallet and phone as he walked out the door.

He had half the protein bar eaten when the elevator reached the lobby of his building.

"Good morning Mr. Agreste." The doorman smiled.

"Good morning Henry." Adrien smiled.

Henry, the doorman, blinked for a second. "Mr. Agreste are you feeling alright? I've never seen you smile."

Adrien became confused. He never smiled to the doorman before? He shrugged. He couldn't really tell when he was smiling because it was just second nature to him. But, Henry was right. Adrien was feeling great. "I'm fine Henry, better than ever." He pulled his wallet out of his shorts pocket and took out some money. "Why don't you treat yourself on me." He handed the doorman the cash.

"But sir!" Henry tried to protest.

Adrien shook his head and walked out the door leaving the man confused.

The sun was shining, birds were singing, the fresh sent of flowers and bread wafted into his nose from near by shops. It was on the verge of summer, so it wasn't too hot yet, but it wasn't cold either. It was perfect.

Adrien took a deep breath and started his jog. Today was going to be a great day! He could just feel it.

His perfect day didn't last long however.

As he turned the corner of his block he saw _her._.. Chloe.

He gulped and hoped she didn't see him as he tried to pick up his speed and run past her, no such luck.

"Adri-kins!" she shouted.

He stopped on his heels and sighed as he turned around to face her. He shouldn't have responded to that pet name he hated.

She stormed over to him and scowled at him. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? Your stupid doorman won't let me in so I could come see you. And why did you block me on all your social media accounts? Do you know how embarrassed I was when you left me at the alter?!"

He never loved her and she never loved him. All she wanted him for was his money. He knew that from day one. He thought maybe he could learn to love her, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Everything she did annoyed him. He wanted to just turn back around and run, but he wasn't a kid any more. His actions had consequences. Although, this was Chloe he was talking to, she only understood extremes. He shrugged, smiled, turned around, and high tailed it away. "Bye Chloe!" He called out.

"Adrien Antony Agreste!" She screeched at the top of her lungs.

Why wasn't she getting the message?


	4. We don't

Depression is a pain.

as always, enjoy and review

~inudigifan201

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Ch, 4. We don't

Marinette woke up the next day with her alarm blaring and Tikki burying herself further into the comforter. Her body felt heavy as she sat up and shut the annoying alarm off. She stretched to life as Tikki reemerged from her hiding place with a meow. Marinette smiled as she rubbed her fury companion's head.

"Morning baby, want some breakfast?" She asked.

Tikki lit up and meowed happily.

It took everything Marinette had to get out of bed and make her way to the kitchen to put food in the cat's bowl. But, she had to. Tikki depended on her.

The rest of her morning went by in a blur because she basically did the same thing everyday.

"Alright Tikki, I'm off to work." She flung her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her portfolio. She looked over the small apartment and made sure Tikki was no where near the door. The little fluff ball, as she affectionately called her sometimes, was giving herself a bath on the small cat condo next to the computer desk in the kitchen/living room. "Have a good day, behave."

She was met with a faint meow. She assumed Tikki was telling her to have a good day at work.

She closed the door behind her and looked at the time on her phone. She had some time to grab a cup of coffee from the shop a block away from the office. And maybe a bagel she could eat on the way. Her stomach growled. It was times like these she missed living with her parents. Their bagels and coffee were better, but their bakery was in the opposite direction from the office. At least her apartment was halfway from work and her parents. She would have to call or visit them later. She did need a recipe for the company picnic a few months away. Although, she doubted anyone would eat what she would bring. It was one thing she hated about working in the fashion industry, nobody seemed to eat.

So far this morning wasn't too bad. She took a bite of her bagel as she exited the shop and started walking to the office. It was kinda funny, before she started working for Mr Agreste, he worked from his home office. But, the moment she started working for him, he moved to the main building downtown. She remembered growing up and looking out from her balcony to faintly see his mansion next to the high school. She often forgot he had a son her age. All she ever thought about was making clothes the world would love. She admired Gabriel, he was her idol. She had completely forgot, when she she had a crush on Adrien, that he was Gabriel's son.

The office was in sight, but her mind was back in high school. She wondered what would have happened if she said hello to him when she wanted to. What would have been different? Would she have had a chance with him after all? He was miserable with Chloe. Would he have dumped her for Marinette?

She shook her head. No, Adrien wouldn't have left Chloe for a complete stranger. She had no chance back then. And no chance now. He was a free man now. He could date as many women as he wanted. There was no way he'd get serious with her, or anyone, as soon as he broke up with his ex. Besides, they both worked for his father and had to abide by the same company rules. _'no dating coworkers'_.

Marinette didn't notice the blond hunk of a man that was jogging in her direction not paying attention to where he was going either.

No, Adrien's eyes were fallowing a black cat running down the street away from from an angry shop owner. He knew it wasn't Plagg. Plagg had a bright green collar with a name tag that read "I answer to Plagg, if you're not my daddy then I escaped", this cat did not. But he still cared. _'Poor kitty.'_ He thought before disaster struck.

As if they were in a slap-stick cartoon, Marinette and Adrien rammed into each other. Her coffee and bagel went flying and his head phones and phone fell out of his pocket and ears and onto the ground. Good thing he had the best case money could buy.

She picked herself of the ground and assessed the damage on her end. Her portfolio and purse were fine and she didn't have any noticeable injuries. She then looked up at him as he picked himself up.

She sighed as he fetched his phone.

"Are you ok?" He looked up and saw her for the first time... that day. "Marinette?" He paled.

She gave him a nervous smile. "There are other ways to get my attention." She tilted her head. "Is your phone ok?" She noticed him dusting it off.

He chuckled. "Better be, paid enough for the military grade case." He smiled wide as he held it up. "The box said I could drive a tank over it and my phone would still be like brand new. And I could go deep sea diving and still text. That is, if I owned a tank or wanted to go deep sea diving." He shrugged. "But I don't want either. I just wanted to make sure my phone would be ok if I accidentally dropped it into the toilet."

She giggled.

He blushed.

She had to admit, he was getting easier to talk to. That, and he was kinda funny.

He looked her up and dawn. "You have coffee all over your clothes." He gasped.

She looked herself over. The coffee she had gotten wasn't all that hot when she got it, but she was planing to put it in the office microwave for a few seconds. She really didn't want to be late. The coffee was room temperature at best. All the cream in it made it that way and she knew that. So it getting all over her suit went almost unnoticed, even though it was wet. The black jacket, the pink silk blouse, and the matching black skirt were all dripping with coffee. Must have been her natural clumsiness that she didn't notice before, she often spilled coffee on herself.

She blushed. "It's fine, I can make another suit." she tried to wave it off. She knew the stain was going to be more trouble than she wanted to deal with. "I have a spare suit at the office."

"Unacceptable." He picked up her bags and put them on his shoulder. He then lightly grabbed her arm and dragged her to a high rise not that far away.

The only reason she let him drag her was because she wanted to see what he was going to do and she was also kinda shocked he was touching her.

The doorman let them in with a smile. "Enjoy your jog Mr. Agreste?"

Adrien gave the man a polite nod. "Miss Dupain-Cheng here is my guest."

The doorman nodded. "Very well sir."

Adrien then led her to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Is this the building you work in?" She asked out of confusion. They were in the office district.

He gave her a small smile and shook his head. "My apartment building. I have the penthouse on the top floor. It's the only building father approved of since it's so close to the main office. Although if i'm being honest..." he blushed. "i've always wanted a cozy little house with a big family to fill it. A mansion with only 3... er 2 residents is kinda lonely. Please don't laugh."

She blushed. "Why would I laugh? That sounds lovely." She thought for a moment. "What did Chloe want?"

"A mansion." He rolled his eyes. "And just me an her." He gagged.

"That sounds awful." She smiled.

He blushed. "What about you?"

"I haven't really thought about it." That was a lie, she had thought about it. She wanted a house by the sea with three kids, a dog, a cat, and a hamster. But, she wasn't about to tell him all that... yet.

The elevator dinged and Adrien walked out. She fallowed because this was obviously his floor and he was no longer holding onto her. There was a tiny little room about half the size of her apartment with a large door. He pulled a card out of his wallet and tapped it on the handle. The door became unlocked and he opened it for her.

She walked in and was instantly greeted with a meow. She looked down to see a little black kitty she assumed was Plagg as Adrien closed the door behind him and scooped up the cat, rubbing his tiny head behind the ears.

"Plagg's never seen anyone walk through that door besides me before so I'm not sure how he'll react." He rubbed the pads on the cat's tiny feet.

She had to admit that was really cute.

"Let me show you to the bathroom." He turned and headed down a short hall at the end of the very large main room.

Windows lined the wall where the door faced. A giant cat condo was in the corner with a box of toys, although there were a few toys spred about the room. On the wall opposite the large kitchen was a large TV and fireplace under it with two doors on both sides. She noted he had the latest console resting on the fireplace. She didn't know where the doors lead because both were closed. One thing that she noticed about his large apartment was that it seemed so empty and white.

He opened a door and held it open for her to enter. It was his bedroom. At least this room was painted black and felt smaller than she knew what it really was. It was more cozy than the main room and seemed to have more furniture. A ginormous bed, a dresser, a mirror, another cat condo, and two bedside tables. He also had a bamboo plant in the corner that was obviously fake and the windows were blocked by black curtains. On the fourth wall there was an archway that lead to a whole lot of tile and a set of folding doors.

He put Plagg on the unmade bed and opened the folding doors to reveal a giant walk in closet. He stepped in and soon returned with a pink suit jacket, a matching skirt, a white silk blouse and a pair of pink heels as well as a bra and a pair of frilly boyshorts underwear. She became confused.

"Technically, these are Chloe's, but she'll never miss them. She's never even worn them." He laid them out on the bed. "I hope they fit you. You and Chloe seem about the same size."

She check the tags. He was right, they were the same size. They were even the same shoe size! How was that possible?! She actually ate! Although, the bra was a bit too small. She could still wear it, but it would be very uncomfortable. At least they differed somewhere.

"Was I right?" he blushed.

She nodded, flabbergasted.

He shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck while he continued to blush. "I guess being the son of a famous designer and being a model my entire life has given me sizing abilities." he pointed to the arch. "the bathroom is through there, feel free to use anything you want... except my toothbrush. That would be kinda gross." He chuckled. "I'll have your clothes cleaned, so just leave them in the hamper." he then began to walk towards the door. "Come on Plagg, let's let the lady shower in peace."

Plagg jumped down from the bed and fallowed Adrien out the room as he shut the door, leaving her alone.

She sighed and walked into the bathroom. She took off her shoes and set them next to the hamper he mentioned as she looked around. A separated shower and tub, a very nice looking toilet, fancy sink... yep, definitely a rich person's bathroom. She let her hair down from the bun she had it in and and began to undress.

She noticed he had put her bags on the table in the kitchen, so she didn't have to worry about her stuff... hopefully.

She stepped into the shower and quickly figured out how to turn it on and get it to the perfect temperature. A large part of her hoped Adrien wouldn't spy on her in the shower, but a much smaller flirty part of her wanted him to watch her the whole time and drool. She shook the though off... but it only came back worse. Now she wanted to know if he would.

She stuck her head out of the shower, she didn't have to because it was all glass, and looked for him. No blond in sight. She sighed and went back under the water.

She was soon done, dried herself off, brushed her hair and put it back into a bun. She then went back into the bedroom and put the clothes he laid out for her on.

She exited the room and found Adrien playing with Plagg with a feather toy.


	5. He, she, we us?

i leave for a bit and i come back and some of my documents are switched around. i don't know what happened, but i know it wasn't me.

sorry for leaving for a bit. i was in a dark place, but good news! i got a job and a new laptop! my best friend is getting married next year... not to thrilled about that because she'll be moving out of my house. but, i'm happy for her. let's see what else... oh yeah, i started babysitting. our internet is still out... probably won't get it back until i get a second job.

overall i'm happier, but the darkness still looms... but hopefully i'll get back to writing more. i miss writing. mostly been playing video games, but they can be annoying sometimes... speaking of video games! i built Adrien and Mari's apartments in sims 4 a while back and put them on the gallery. recently i started playing with them and put the two apartments on the same lot, and then i realized i actually don't like them and now i want to redo them. my Adrien and Mari sims are perfect, but the apartments aren't, oh well.

anyway, I've been working on this chapter little by little and now it's ready for ya'lls reading pleasure. enjoy!

~inudigifan201

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Ch, 5. He, she, we... us?

Adrien shut the door behind Plagg. It was then realization struck him.

He had never had anybody in his apartment before, much less a woman.

He blushed and slid his back on the door to his room as he sat down. He had a woman in his apartment! And not just any woman at that, the woman he was quickly and undoubtedly falling in love with. And he gave her his ex's clothes! She probably thought he was a creep!

Plagg climbed up his shirt and stood on his head with his front paws on the door, meowing. He then began scratching it.

"Hey!" He grabbed his cat and brought him down to eye level. "What's gotten into you?"

It seemed like Plagg raised an eyebrow saying "What's gotten into you?", but he knew better.

"Don't look at me like that." Adrien blushed.

"Mew." Plagg wiggled out of his owner's hands and walked over to his food dish. He picked it up with his mouth and brought it over to him. He then sat down and set the bowl down.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I just fed you a little over an hour ago."

Plagg pushed his bowl closer to his human.

Adrien sighed, stood up, grabbed the bowl, and walked to the kitchen. "I'm only giving you a tiny bit." He scooped half the normal amount. He then looked at it and let a few pieces fall back into the container. He let the rest go into the bowl. He set the bowl next to the water dish and Plagg raced to stuff his face.

"I'm a bad cat dad." Adrien shook his head.

When Plagg was done, he rubbed his little head on Adrien's legs. Adrien smiled as he knelt down and rubbed the kitty's fuzzy chin.

Plagg then scampered off to the main room and came back with a feather toy while purring.

Adrien smiled wide as he grabbed the wand out of the cat's mouth. "Oh you want to play? Well that I will not say no to."

It wasn't long before both males were on the floor roughhousing with the feather wand.

Adrien didn't hear Marinette come out of his room, but a pink blob came into the side of his vision. He looked up and found her about to burst into laughter. He quickly stood up and dropped the feather wand.

"You didn't have to stop on my account." She smiled as Plagg swatted at the discarded feathers, still in the mood to play. "Most of the clothes you picked out for me fit.

He blushed. "I'm sorry."

She scratched the back of her head. "It's ok, and thanks. I really need to get to work now."

He nodded for a moment, but then shook his head. She became confused as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a familiar box.

He walked back over to her and opened it revealing 20 different muffins. "Sorry I ruined your breakfast."

She picked out the strawberry muffin and blush. "Why are you being so nice to me? We got off on the wrong foot."

He shrugged and closed the box, setting it on the table. "I try to be nice to everyone I meet." He smiled and gave her a wink. "It doesn't hurt that you're really cute."

She giggled. "I'm nothing compared to the models you probably see on a daily basis."

He gave a small, breathy chuckle. "No... you're better. You actually eat." He shrugged again. "I honestly can't stand most models. I don't even like modeling myself."

She became confused as Plagg jumped up on the table, sniffing the muffins in the air. "Then why are you doing it if you don't like it?"

He picked up the cat and held him like a grumpy baby. "My father made me when I was younger, I didn't have a choice, especially after my mother died." He shrugged again. "I haven't really had much control over my own life since I was born. My mother fought for me, but..." he sighed as a single tear he had been holding in for who knows how long rolled down his face. "She..." anther tear fell. "She couldn't fight for herself. What's the point of being so freaking rich and not being able to save someone you love to stupid cancer?" The tears were a waterfall.

Plagg jumped down and licked his paw to clean the salty tears off his fur.

She set the muffin down on the table and gave him a much needed hug.

He sniffled. "and to make matters worse, the day after the funeral Chloe told father she and I were dating. I never agreed to that. Then she and father wrote up a contract they made me sign that said I wasn't allowed to break up with her." he spoke through the tears. "and then, last year she bought herself a ring and told everybody I proposed. I didn't! I wanted out of the relationship not to be in deeper. That's why I ran on my wedding day. I broke contract. She's going to sue my pants off and I don't know what to do."

She didn't know what to do either. She just patted his back and listened while Plagg nibbled on her muffin. She could tell he needed this. There was no telling how long he had everything all bottled up inside. She had no idea how messed up his life was. Her feet were started to hurt so she lead him to the sofa so they could sit as Plagg finished off the muffin and jumped down.

Adrien continued to cry in her lap as Marinette stroked his hair. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose my cat." He sniffled. "He's my baby."

"Meow." Plagg mewed as he jumped up on top his condo.

It was then a phone decided to ring. She managed to prop him up on the sofa to answer the device. It was his. It was his father. She paled. She couldn't answer that! How could she explain she wasn't at work because she ran into his son and got coffee split all over her and he offered her clean clothes and a shower? How could she tell her boss she was in his son's apartment? Why she answered his cell phone? She saw him cry? How could she say anything?

"Hello father." Adrien managed to answer.

She looked him over as he stood there listening to his father on the other end yelling at him for missing a photo shoot. He looked so different than he did a moment before. Kinda stoic, yet broken. His tears were dry, but his eyes seemed like they were just getting started with the water works. His voice was monotone when he spoke his apology. Was he like this all the time when he spoke to his father? Her heart ached.

Gabriel ended the call and another tear ran down Adrien's face. He gazed over to her. "I'm so sorry, this isn't very Agreste of me."

She gasped and wrapped her arms around him. "It's ok to cry."

"I haven't cried since mom died. Father yelled at me for it." He sobbed.

"Boy you need a therapist."

Plagg licked his paw after he finished the muffin and eyed the box that was left unattended with the rest. He pawed at the box just to test the water. With a flick of his tail he noticed no one was paying attention to him and knocked the boxed off the table causing the other muffins to roll out. He jumped down and started nibbling on a banana nut muffin before Adrien picked him up.

"Plagg! You pig!" Adrien sighed as Marinette picked up the muffins that rolled out. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eat people food?" Adrien cradled him like a baby. He glanced over at her. "Oh! You don't have to do that. I'll get it. My cat after all. Besides, you're the guest."

She shrugged. "I don't mind." She looked around. "Where's the trashcan?"

"Under the sink." He was shocked. There was no hint of ulterior motive.

"When Alya and I shared an apartment I was always cleaning up after her and Nino. At first I was kinda grossed out but I eventually got used to it." she found the trash can. "I'm just curious, how did you and Nino meet?"

"Um..." Well that caught him off-guard. "I was 13." he shrugged. Might as well answer her. "Chloe was dragging me around the mall like I was some kind of prize. Then she asked me to wait for her while she and Sabrina went to get a wax or something... I forgot exactly what it was, I just remember they went into a spa. Anyway, there was a music store next to the spa and I wanted to get Jagged Stone's new album..."

"You like Jagged Stone?" She walked back to him and tilted her head.

He nodded with a wide smile. "Yeah, he rocks!"

She smiled. "Yeah he does." she blushed. "Ok, I have to brag a little. I made his favorite sunglasses when I was 14."

He blinked at her. "The Eiffel tower ones?"

She nodded.

"That's so cool!" He smiled even wider.

"So... Nino?" She kept her smile, but crossed her arms and leaned on the table. The look she was giving him almost made him drool... no, it did make him drool, but he hid it pretty well.

"Oh right!" he snapped back. "i walked into the store to find Jagged's new album. I found it and went I went to grab it off the self, but another hand beat me there. It was Nino. We were pretty cool immediately. It was nice meeting someone who wasn't an heir to a massive fortune and completely stuck up. So I invited him over to play video games because I thought that's what normal boys do when they make friends. He gave me a weird look and told me he wasn't gay."

She giggled. "What happened next?"

He blushed. "I didn't see what playing video games had to do with sexuality... still don't honestly. But, I told him I'm not gay too. I just wanted a guy to hang out with because my only friend was a girl and you know the rest about Chloe."

She nodded, no longer giggling.

"So how did you meet Alya?" He decided to change the subject.

She shrugged. "Well I've known Nino forever, but I met Alya the first day of ninth grade and we were insta best friends. She helped me stand up to Chloe after years of bullying."

He sank. "Ah." he knew Chloe wasn't the easiest to get along with, but he didn't know she was a bully. "I'm sorry."

She blinked. "For what?"

"Chloe." He shrugged. He didn't know why, but he felt guilty. He supposed since she was his "fiancee". "I'm sorry she bullied you... bullied anybody." he scratched the back of his head. "I wish I knew. I would have said something, but she probably would have continued."

She shrugged. "It's alright. I needed to learn how to stand up for myself. Everything happens for a reason."

He nodded. But, before he could speak, she noticed the clock on the wall.

"And I'm really late for work!" She gasped. "Your dad is going to kill me!" She gathered her things. "thanks for the change of clothes and the attempt at breakfast." She rushed to the door. "I'll see you later." with that she was out the door and gone. Gone to work. But, not gone for good.

He smiled wide. She said "see you later". He blushed. She said "see you later". He picked up Plagg and started dancing, humming a tune he made up. It wasn't a goodbye, it was a "see you later"!

He couldn't be happier, but Plagg was getting a bit dizzy. He managed to wiggle himself free and run under the sofa to hide till Adrien came to his senses.

Adrien sighed as he got down on his knees. "Plagg, come out from under there."

"Mew." Plagg put a paw on his hand, but didn't come out.

It was then Adrien's phone rang. It was the angry photographer, Adrien was running extremely late too.


	6. Tikki doesn't

sorry this chapter is so short.

i have a second job now... not sure if i like it though. my dad is also changing jobs... hopefully we'll get internet back soon.

i still need to fix Adrien's apartment in the sims, but haven't gotten around to it. i might start over. I like Mari's. y'all can download those and many other of my builds from the gallery (sims 4). I'm currently working on a bowling alley. trying to make it look just like the one i know in real life is a challenge... but so far it's really close.

anyway, I've been working on this story little by little and now it's ready for ya'lls reading pleasure. enjoy!

~inudigifan201

* * *

Ch, 6. Tikki doesn't

The sun was setting as Marinette opened the door to her apartment. It had been a whirlwind of a day and she was exhausted.

"Tikki, I'm home." She called out wearily. "Here kitty."

Tikki yawned and stretched to life on her spot on the sofa. She then padded her way to her human and greeted her with purring and rubbing her legs with her little head.

"Hey baby girl." Mari picked her up and scratched her favorite spot. "I had the weirdest day." She rubbed her tiny chin to elicit a purr. "I ran into Adrien Agreste and he took me to his apartment for a change of clothes."

"Mew." Tikki licked her paw as she purred.

"And he just opened up to me." She thought a moment. "And I think he tried to flirt with me. He's really bad at it if he was." She blushed.

Tikki curled into a ball in her arms and fell asleep.

"Maybe I should make him something. He was a mess. I guess his life isn't as perfect as I used to think. And neither is he. Which, I should have known, nobody's perfect… why did I ever think he was? But seeing him cry like that…" She took a deep breath. "It made him more human to me… more relatable." She looked down at the sleeping cat in her arms. "I don't think I ever got over him." She put Tikki down on her little cat condo next to the computer desk and rubbed her tiny head. "I don't think I could ever get over him."

She then walked over to the small kitchen and pulled out the cat food from a cabinet and poured a cup into Tikki's bowl. Next was the trudge down the tiny hallway to the bathroom to get a proper shower. She was glad to get Chloe's clothes off and let the hot water wash over her. After she dried off and brushed her teeth she was able to put on her very comfortable pajamas and crawl into bed.

Her apartment was so much smaller than Adrien's, but it was cozier and more homey. Adrien's looked like it jumped out of a furniture catalog. The only thing that screamed anybody lived there was Plagg's toys strew about.

The alarm blared as the sun came into her room. Marinette grumbled as she pulled the covers over her head causing Tikki to fall off the bed.

The alarm continued to blare as Tikki meowed at it. Marinette grumbled again and sat up. She slammed her hand down on the snooze button as she glared at the offending device. She then looked at the time and began to panic.

She was late… again.

Why did she always do this to herself?

She scrambled out of bed and quickly got herself ready.

She put on Chloe's shoes and didn't notice until she walked out of her apartment. She sighed and unlocked the door. She kicked them off and put on her pair of classic black heels. She was not going to wear those uncomfortable things ever again. She didn't know how, but she was going to return them to Chloe… although it would be better if she returned them to Adrien.

"Love you Tikki." She closed the door again.

She soon got to her office and something caught her eye on her desk as she put her things in an arm chair she had in there.

A vase of exotic flowers with a red bow tied to the base was sitting dead center on her desk.

"Who are those from?" a woman slinked in and leaned on the doorway.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she read the card that came with the flowers. "Thanks for listening. ~Adrien"

"My dad." Marinette lied. There was no way she could tell anyone who they were really from.

The woman shrugged. "Pity, here I thought you had a secret admirer." She looked her over. "Maybe if you lost a few pounds then men would want you."

Marinette took a deep breath. "Venessa, I'm perfectly happy with my body. How's that cleanse going for you anyway?"

"I'm dying but I look hot." Venessa smiled.

"Good for you." Marinette pulled a candy bar out of her purse, opened it and took a bite with a smile.

Venessa frowned. "You're going to get fat eating those."

"I'll be fine." Marinette licked her fingers and threw away the wrapper.

Venessa gagged, huffed, and walked back out the room.

Marinette rolled her eyes, noted her fingers were still sticky, pulled some hand sanitizer out of her purse, and rubbed it in while she sat down.

She picked up the card again and blushed. There it was, her 14 year old self. How dare he do this to her again after all these years! She put her head in her hands and groaned. She can't fall for him again. Although, it might have already been too late.


	7. Plagg doesn't

good news: my internet is back, my nephew is almost done with school for the year (getting him on and off a bus somehow just messes up an entire day), here is a new chapter and i haven't forgotten about this or any of my ongoing stories... but maybe now that summer is around the corner and my work hours are nonexistent (although i wish i had more hours than what I'm getting) i can get some writing done.

i still want to work on Adrien's apartment in the sims... I'm going to start over. i am using his apartment as a base for a different one. i deleted all the buildings in a save game so i could replace them with ones i build/built. i thought it would be fun.

anyway, enjoy!

~inudigifan201

* * *

Ch, 7. Plagg doesn't

Adrien stared at the array of flowers before him. So many options, so many choices. He didn't want anything too suggestive, but he also wanted to say he was interested. It had to be just right.

He looked up at the florist. "I want it to say 'I really like you and want to get to know you better.' And not say 'let's get a hotel room.'" He sighed. "it's probably a little too soon to suggest such things." He blushed. "I've never had a crush before." He scratched the back of his neck and blushed. "and she might reject me."

The old lady just smiled and nodded, listening to him ramble on.

"I mean I hope she doesn't reject me, but I have a feeling she might… but if there is a slim chance she doesn't, I want to take it." He continued.

The old lady put a hand on his shoulder. "I got you sonny."

He gave her a warm smile. "Thank you." He handed her a slip of paper. "this is where they should be delivered." He looked up company records and found out exactly where her office was. "And I want the note to say 'Thanks for listening. ~Adrien'."

She nodded. "Got it."

He smiled and let out a relived sigh. "Thank you." He waved to her as he walked out of the store. He already wrote a check for the flowers.

The sun set as he opened the door to his apartment to be greeted by a very annoyed Plagg meowing his head off about the state of his bowl and why Adrien was so late getting home.

Adrien smiled and fed his furry companion. He then sat down and turned on the tv to unwind a bit before he went to bed.

Unfortunately for Adrien, going to sleep that night was impossible. He tossed and turned all night hoping he remembered her office number right when he asked Nathalie, his father's assistant and rumored lover. Adrien kind of believed the rumor. His father and Nathalie spent a lot of time together, so it wasn't too farfetched that they would develop feelings for one other. Although the thought of his father and Nathalie… together made Adrien's stomach a little queasy. Although, he knew no one could replace his mother in his and his father's eyes.

But then, as he was thinking of his mother, Marinette popped back into his mind. The look she gave him wasn't condescending or bored… it was caring. A look his mother often gave him when he messed up. After his mother died he thought he'd never see that look again considering how his life was going at the time, but there it was, being given to him by an almost complete stranger.

The very thought made him blush and squeal like a little girl, freaking Plagg out who jumped and fell off the bed, hissed and his fur stood on end.

"Sorry bud." Adrien tried to sooth him, but Plagg licked his paw, turned toward the door, and walked through the crack.

Adrien pouted. "I'll give him a treat in the morning for putting up with me."

The sun finally rose and sleep finally overcame him, for about thirty minutes.

What woke him up was the doorbell he didn't even know worked. He pulled himself out of bed and yawned as the doorbell continued to ring.

"I'm coming." He yawned.

He opened the door and there was a police officer on the other side.

"Can I help you officer?" He yawned again.

"I'm here to serve you *yawn* court papers." The officer caught his yawn and handed him the subpoena.

Adrien was confused. "I've been a model citizen, why am I going to court?"

"Mr. Agreste you're being sued by Miss Bourgeois." The officer tipped his hat. "Have a nice day sir."

With that the officer was gone leaving Adrien with the papers. He shut the door and began to read them over. She was suing him for everything. He needed a good… no, the best lawyer he could find.

"This is ridiculous." His father looked over the papers as Adrien tried not to fall asleep while sitting down in a chair in his father's office.

"I know right!" Adrien smiled. For once his father was on his side.

"If you had gone through the wedding this wouldn't have happened. This case is going to ruin my company's reputation. If she wins then we'll be on the streets with nothing. Think before you act Adrien." Or not.

Adrien sighed. He really needed his father in his corner, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. "I did think. I've been thinking. I've kept my mouth shut for so long and I've been miserable. I ran out because I knew she didn't love me and I knew I'd be completely miserable. I've never felt so free since I ran. I'm happy now…"

"You look like shit." Mr. Agreste's observation was blunt and harsh.

"My appearance today is unrelated." Adrien tried to defend himself.

"Mr. Agreste. Marinette is here to see you." Nathalie spoke through the intercom.

"Send her in." Mr. Agreste responded. "We're not done with this conversation." He looked back at Adrien who groaned and slouched in the chair.

The door then opened and in she walked, looking like a dream.

The way her hair swayed as her whole body bounced as she walked, the shimmer in her eyes, and that smile. He couldn't get enough of that smile. He even swore she giggled a little as she walked past him. His heart sored.

Mr. Agreste raised an eyebrow as he watched his son turn into a pile of mush, but he soon realized why and spoke a silent "oh".

Marinette handed Mr. Agreste a file and stood back. She was also carrying a large garment bag that peeked the older Agreste's interest.

"May I see what's in the bag?" He spoke.

She blushed. "It's just a wedding dress my best friend asked me to make her. I'm taking it to her office after this meeting to make sure it fits. It needs to be hemmed and…"

"I want to see it." The older Agreste spoke again.

She took a deep breath and unzipped the bag. With a shaking hand she uncovered the dress.

Mr. Agreste moved out from behind his desk as Adrien stood up to get a better look at it.

It was sweetheart neckline, three quarter sleeves, with a ball gown skirt, and a medium length train. Lace covered the entire thing and if you looked closely, you would find foxes playing in flowers throughout the pattern. She also had a matching vale with the fox embroidery at the bottom.

"Foxes?" Mr. Agreste raised an eyebrow.

Marinette shrugged. "Alya loves foxes."

"Exquisite work Miss Dupain-Cheng. I expect nothing less from you." Mr. Agreste gave a small proud smile.

"It looks amazing! Alya is going to love it!" Adrien smiled wide and blushed.

"Thanks." She smiled wide, not noticing his blush.

Gabriel gave the pair a small knowing smile but hid it quickly. "Well Miss Dupain-Cheng you should get going so you can make those adjustments before her big day. Nothing is worse than a bride with an incomplete dress." His stern look returned.

"Yes sir." She nodded, folded the dress back into the back and left without another word.

The door shut before the elder Agreste spoke. "So, there is another woman."

Adrien blushed profusely as he looked back at his father. "Father it's not what you think! Marinette and I… we aren't… we haven't…"

His father held up a finger and Adrien stopped.

"You look at her the same way I looked at your mother. It's obvious." Gabriel crossed his arms and leaned on his desk. "However…"

"I didn't meet Marinette till after I ran from the alter." Adrien interjected. "she doesn't even like me like that." He spoke under his breath with a sigh.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Technically you've known her your entire life. You just don't remember. I did some digging before I hired her. She's the daughter of the owners of your mother's favorite bakery. Remember, she used to take you there all the time. You went so much you started to become pudgy."

Adrien blinked up at his father. "Is that why you put me on that stupid diet?"

"Yes." Gabriel spoke flatly. He then smiled wide. "and now look at you, physical perfection."

Adrien rolled his eyes.

"So, you left Chloe at the alter for Marinette?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"No… maybe. No." Adrien blushed and put his head in his hands.

"A lawyer is going to ask you questions like that. You need to be prepared." Gabriel shook his head.

Adrien stood up and hid his face from his father. "I need some sleep."

"I'll call the family lawyer." Gabriel pulled his cellphone out of his pants pocket.

"Thank you, Father." Adrien gave him a small, tired smile.

"Adrien." Gabriel began to dial and his son stopped in his tracks.

Adrien looked back at his father.

"I know miss Dupain-Cheng is a very attractive and brilliant young lady, but please do not make things awkward with her. You two are going to be partners after all and I would very much like it if my company didn't go under because of emotions."

Adrien sighed. "Yes father."


End file.
